Alternate Routes
by spicygoodness
Summary: A post-ep to "Layover".  What could have happened.  Brenda/Flynn.  Spoilers to 6.04


This is my first fic. Any feedback is appreciated.

* * *

Flynn was tired of being punished.

It had been two weeks since the incident with the flight attendants and the Chief was still busting his balls. She leaves him with the worst assignments on their cases and barely speaks to him unless it is work related. She isn't even laughing at his jokes. Sure, they're bad jokes, but she usually laughs in spite of herself. The whole squad can feel the tension between them.

He just didn't get it. Provenza's the one who winds up finding a body and contaminating the whole crime scene but she's angry with him. All Flynn did was pick up a flight attendant, a cute, petite, blonde with great legs. It's not his fault she ended up being a drug trafficker, he was just looking to have a little fun. A guy has a right.

So in typical Flynn manner he decided to take care of the problem and that is how he had ended up here, in a car with the Chief, on what was quickly becoming the most awkward road trip in history.

It was a simple extradition of a suspect from a little Nevada town a few miles east of the California-Nevada border. They had tracked the suspect down and found that he was already in custody after being pulled over for speeding and found to have an outstanding bench warrant but murder trumped parking tickets any day. That's what Flynn loved about his work. Oftentimes the bad guys were just dumbasses.

Typically the Chief would have sent Provenza and Flynn, but Provenza had plans with his kids who were in town visiting. Tao and Sanchez had already left for the day. The Chief had taken one sharp look at Flynn and informed Gabriel he would be accompanying her to get the suspect. Gabriel was pissed having made plans for the night so Flynn offered to step in and help him out. Hoping that maybe he and Chief could work out whatever the hell was pissing her off.

* * *

Brenda walked into the garage and was not happy at all to see Flynn standing by the car. "Where's Sgt. Gabriel"? asked Brenda.

"He had plans Chief. I offered to trade with him." Flynn explained.

"But I told Sgt. Gabriel to accompany me. You can't just go trading places without asking me first." Brenda was so mad. The last thing she wanted to do was spend eight hours in a car with Flynn. "This is exactly the kind of behavior I don't want to have to deal with Lt."

"Well, ma'am. If you want to wait to call in Gabriel. . ." Flynn said.

Brenda interrupted, sighing exasperatedly and climbing in the car. "No, no. There is no reason to hold up the entire investigation, I just, I don't want to have this happen again. I hand out assignments for a reason."

Flynn tried a couple times to casually start a conversation but Brenda stopped him each time. Brenda didn't want to talk to Flynn. She didn't want to be anywhere near Flynn. Brenda knew that her recent behavior towards him had been immature and irrational but seeing him with that flight attendant had just made her so angry. She didn't like to dwell too much on why that was. Anymore than Flynn wanted to dwell on why he had been so strongly drawn to the petite, blond, southern girl. Some things were better left alone.

Brenda had felt a kinship with Flynn. They were alike in a lot of ways, particularly in their views of justice although their methods may differ at times. She just couldn't get over how could he be so stupid. She had defended him to Pope but the fact was he had been outwitted. He had acted ridiculous with that girl and jeopardizing both LAPD and FBI investigations was inexcusable. Given her current, unwanted, position in the lottery for Chief of Police Brenda had even less tolerance for his shenanigans.

Flynn finally gave up and drove the remainder of the distance in silence. If she wasn't willing to talk to him he couldn't fix the problem. They arrived at the police station but were told that the officer who could process the transfer of the suspect would not be in for another hour, the joys of small town policing. Flynn was starving and asked where they might pick up some dinner and was directed to a diner a few streets away.

Even at the diner Brenda refused to speak to him. They sat in an awkward silence both focusing on their menus. A cute, young waitress walked up to their table and asked what they would like to drink. Flynn flashes a smile and flirts with her a bit. Brenda is less than amused. Upon returning with their drinks and taking their dinner order the waitress and Flynn continued to flirt. Brenda heard Flynn say, "Let me give you my card. You know if you're ever in L.A. and need a tour guide or something." The waitress beamed taking his card commenting something in return that Brenda never heard. She couldn't believe he was trying to pick up this waitress right in front. After all that had happened the last time.

Brenda stood up from the table, putting on her sweetest grin and told the waitress, "You can just cancel my order. I'm suddenly not that hungry. Thank you," and walked out of the diner leaving a confused Flynn in her wake.

Flynn had no idea where the Chief had gone. He had grabbed the food, including Brenda's, to go and had gone back out to the car but she was nowhere in sight. That woman could be so irritating. He drove back to the police station hoping that maybe she would be there. She couldn't have gone far on foot.

Flynn walked into the station and spotted Brenda in the back of the lobby. From the looks of it she had done serious damage to the vending machine. He counted two candy bar wrappers on the seat beside her and she was working on number three. He's sure there are more stashed in her purse. At this rate she'll be in a diabetic coma by the time they make it back to L.A.

He walked over and sat down across from her. "I brought your food."

"I cancelled my order," she said.

"I went ahead and had them make it to go. I thought you might want it anyway."

"No thank you," she said taking another bite of the chocolate bar.

"God, she could be such a brat when she wanted," he thought.

"Chief, what is going on? You're pissed at me I get it, hell the whole squad gets it. If you have a beef with me then tell me but this," spreading his hands in frustration, "this is getting us nowhere."

She looks at him and for a brief moment the carefully fixed façade slips and Flynn sees the disappointment there. Then everything slides back into place. "There is nothing to discuss, Lt." she says. Flynn gets up in frustration. He needs to be away from her. Just as he reaches the front door the clerk calls for him. The suspect is being processed and should be ready to go in five minutes.

* * *

The ride back to L.A. is uneventful. Upon arriving back at LAPD Flynn takes the suspect down to processing, he will spend the rest of night in lock up and Brenda will talk to him sometime the next day. Flynn goes back upstairs to Major Crimes to complete what little paperwork is left concerning the extradition. No one is there. The Chief is ensconced in her office with the blinds pulled tight.

Flynn completes his work and debates how prudent it is to take the finished work into the Chief's office tonight. He could just as easily turn it in tomorrow morning before she arrives and avoid another awkward confrontation. But her behavior is really starting to eat at him and he finally decides that this matter needs to be resolved once and for all.

As soon as she had returned from picking up the suspect with Flynn Brenda had retreated to her office. Something had to give. She knew she couldn't continue behaving the way she was towards Flynn. Her reaction in the diner had been over the top. She had a husband and she had no right to care if Flynn flirted with some waitress. For the past hour she had been losing herself in a case file when she heard her office door open. Looking up, startled, Brenda sees Flynn walk into her office.

"Here is the last of the paperwork," he said setting the folder on her desk. The only light on was the lamp on her desk casting the rest of her office in shadow.

"Thank you, Lt." she tries to sound normal, "Have a nice weekend." Brenda then looks back down at the case file she was reading. She is acutely aware that Flynn has made no move to leave her office. Finally she looks back up at him. "Is there something else, Lt.," she asks.

"This has to stop," he says making no attempt to define what "this" is.

Brenda lets out an exasperated sigh, removes her glasses and rubs her eyes. Realizing she needs to stop behaving like a jealous school girl with a crush and discussing it with Flynn were two very different things. Lt., just go home."

"No," to illustrate his determination Flynn circles round and sits in one of the guest chairs facing her desk. This is a conversation that has needed to happen for days.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not leaving. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on." Brenda just stared at him. "You have been pissed at me for the past two weeks and I want to know why," he said.

"Lt. Flynn, there is nothing to discuss."

"Don't do that!" his voice raised, "Clearly there is something to discuss. When you're not avoiding or ignoring me you're snapping at me. Then the way you walked out of that diner today. What the hell was that? If you have a problem with me or my work then tell me, damn it!" He is pacing the office now unable to contain the agitation he is feeling.

"Fine, Lt., you want to know what you did?" asked Brenda, standing, slamming her glasses down on her desk. "I have to constantly defend your behavior and clean up your messes. You're a seasoned detective and you were outwitted by some hare-brained, pageant queen stewardess. Even after we found the body. Even after we knew she was just using you. You still refused to see the obvious. You jeopardized an operation and could have gotten someone killed all because you were trying to chase a piece of tail."

Flynn was stunned. "Chief," he tried to interrupt, but now that she had started she couldn't stop.

"And then in that diner, trying to pick up that waitress. I would have thought you'd learned your lesson, but no, you just keep going along like it doesn't even matter. As if somehow I'm always just going to be faithfully waiting to take care of whatever ridiculous situation you get yourself embroiled in." By this time Brenda had rounded the desk and was standing directly in front of Flynn. "Well maybe I'm tired of it. Maybe I won't always be here to clean up after you and I certainly don't want to have to sit by and watch you pick up random women."

As soon as the last sentence is out of her mouth Brenda realizes that she had gone too far. Brenda returns to her side of the desk and stares down at it. She just wants him to go. These feelings she has towards him are silly and inappropriate. For them to have even been slightly revealed is unbearable, "Go home, Lt."

Suddenly everything that has happened over the past two weeks made sense. She was jealous. That's why she had been so angry and went out of her way to avoid him.

Flynn comes around the desk and stands beside her. "Chief, you're right and I'm sorry. I should have seen it. I should have known better." He pauses, weighing the wiseness of what he is about to say, "But you know that you can't be mad at me for . . .you're married. What do you expect me to do? You can't be mad at me."

After what feels like an eternity Brenda finally looks over at him, her expression pained and vulnerable. "I know." She says it so quietly he can barely hear her. What Flynn sees makes something in him shift. He raises his hand to her chin and gently cups it turning her head just a little more. He runs his thumb over her bottom lip lightly caressing it. He gives her plenty of time to pull away, to tell him to stop. Her eyes hold his steadily and he feels her lips part under his thumb. He leans in, his other hand finding her neck in the process and covers her parted lips with his.

When he has thought about kissing Brenda Leigh Johnson in the past he always imagined it would be frantic. A kiss fueled by passion and untapped longing instead it is fueled with a quiet need and is languorous and intense. He feels her hands holding onto his forearms as she kisses him back her tongue meeting his in a slow exploration. He pulls her closer to him, wanting to feel her body against his and she twines her arms around his neck drawing him in, never breaking the kiss.

When they finally pull apart moments later he continues to hold her and she rests her head on his chest until her breathing slows. "I can't." she says.

"I know," he says, gently rubbing her back kissing the top of her head. "It's okay, I know."

"If I wasn't married," she says holding onto him.

"If you weren't married I would have kissed you a long time ago," Flynn confesses in her ear and Brenda's grip on him tightens.

She looks up at him then stroking the side of his face and she leans in to kiss him again. She wants to remember how it feels to be pressed against his body, the way his hand twines in her hair and the other presses on her lower back pushing up her shirt to feel her skin. She wants to remember how he tastes and how his tongue teases its way into her mouth making it hard for her to think. She groans pulling him closer. She feels like she could kiss him forever.

After several minutes they pull apart for the last time. He looks at her half closed eyes and swollen lips. He knows if they don't stop things now they will do something both will regret later. "I should get going," he says still holding onto her gently.

Brenda nods. "Me too." She reluctantly pulls away to collect her things.

"I'll walk you to your car," he says.

Once they have cleared the entrance to the department she reaches over taking his hand and twining her fingers through his. They both know that this can go no further but for right now, for these few minutes, she wants to treasure having the uninhibited right to touch him. His hand squeezes hers and they walk in companionable silence the previous tension having finally found some relief.

They reach her car and he holds the door for her to get in. She turns to him, "I didn't mean what I said before. I'll always be here. I'll always find a way."

He brushes an errant piece of hair behind her ear, "So will I."

She smiles at him and gets in the car reaching out a final time to grab his hand. He gives it a gentle squeeze and extricates himself from her shutting the car door. He watches in silence as she drives away.


End file.
